Technology dominates every aspect of our lives from banking to shopping to personal communication; however, there is one place where its potential has not been realized. That place is the K-12 classroom. In fact, both students and teachers use technology less at school than they do at home (Picciano, 2011). According to the U.S. Department of Education’s 2010 report Transforming American Education, students are using technology outside of school hours to create their own learning experiences, but the challenge is leveraging that kind of learning to all students to “provide engaging and powerful learning experiences, content, and resources and assessments that measure student achievement in more complete, authentic, and meaningful ways” inside the classroom (p. v). The gap between how students are using technology at home and how they are using it in the classroom must be bridged in order for technology to implement personalized learning and transform American education. However, availability is a major obstacle which must be overcome before that bridge can be built.
In order for technology to fully impact education, it must be “always on, available to students, educators, and administrators regardless of their location or the time of day” (Office of Educational Technology, 2010, p. ix). This is not going to be achieved as long as technology is not available to all students at all times. Recently, the national ratio of students to computers in the classroom has been reported at 5.3 to 1 (Fast Facts, 2010). Even states with improved ratios such as Florida and California only boast ratios of 2.75 to 4.7, respectively (Jordan, 2013; Mills & Squires, 2013). These statistics are a far cry from the one-to-one ratio demanded for 21st century learning (Costa, 2013). A major hurdle must be jumped before this ratio can be achieved, and that hurdle is finances.
In the midst of a valiant call for education reform, schools are limited in their technology purchases by the need for cost-effective stratagies (Office of Educational Technology, 2010). However, there are resources available to schools and students at no cost to the school systems. These are devices owned by the students. By developing policys which allow students to bring and use their own devices in the classroom, educators can meet technology requirements and ignite education reform while staying within the budget (Costa, 2013). These policys are commonly known as BYOD or Bring Your Own Device, and with these policys, radical reform is within reach.
In order for technology to fully impact education, it must be “always on, available to students, educators, and administrators regardless of their location or the time of day” (Office of Educational Technology, 2010, p. ix). This is not going to be achieved as long as technology is not available to all students at all times. Recently, the national ratio of students to computers in the classroom has been reported at 5.3 to 1 (Fast Facts, 2010). Even states with improved ratios such as Florida and California only boast ratios of 2.75 to 4.7, respectively (Jordan, 2013; Mills & Squires, 2013). These statistics are a far cry from the one-to-one ratio demanded for 21st century learning (Costa, 2013). A major hurdle must be jumped before this ratio can be achieved, and that hurdle is finances.
In the midst of a valiant call for education reform, schools are limited in their technology purchases by the need for cost-effective stratagies (Office of Educational Technology, 2010). However, there are resources available to schools and students at no cost to the school systems. These are devices owned by the students. By developing policys which allow students to bring and use their own devices in the classroom, educators can meet technology requirements and ignite education reform while staying within the budget (Costa, 2013). These policys are commonly known as BYOD or Bring Your Own Device, and with these policys, radical reform is within reach.
Fiello, Cheryl. (Producer). (2012, April 3) Why should a school consider BYOD?. Retrieved April 16, 2013 from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL4ssuCDRXs